Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-02-16
The Aurkrille Guqlirer.
YORKVILLE, S. c. +
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1887
A HALT TO PENSION GRABBING.

OQ friday ldSL IreSlueLG SloNe!e'uu ooho
to the House of Representatives his veto of
the bill to create pensions for the relief of
dependent parents and H6norably discharg-
ed soldiers and sailors who are now disabled
and dependent upon their own labor for
support. The message and bill were refer
| red to the pension committee on the prom
ise made by Mr.. Matson that report would
soon be made.
In his message, Mr.. Cleveland first rails
es the objection to the bill that it is an
avowed departure from the principle thus
far adhered to respecting Union soldiers; ;
that the bounty of the government in the
wav of pensions is generously bestowed
when granted to those who, in this militia
nv service and in the line of military duty,
have, to a greater or less extent, been dis
abled. He admits, however, that service
pensions are not a new thing under this
government, as they were provided for SOL
diers of the revolution, of the war of 1872
and of the Mexican war, but in each IN
stance they were not granted until time
so remote from the military service OF the
persons whom they embraced that their
extreme age alone was deemed to supply
presumption of dependency and need. He
quotes the figures of enlistments in these
wars to sustain this point, and then passes
on to the argument that, so far as the bill
relates to the soldiers of the civil war,
| the bounty it affords them is given thirteen
years earlier than it has been furnished to
| the soldiers of any other war, and before
large majority of its benefciaries have ad-
vanced in age beyond the strength and Wig
or of the prime of life.
He objects that the bill eXacts only a SER
vice of three months, without any require
ment of actual engagement in battle, ana
awards pensions to men who have sustain
ed no injury referable to military service
or who may never have reached the front
at all. The section allowing the pension OF
| S12 per month seems to him to be SO un-
certain and liable to such conflicting con-
structions and to be subject to such unjust
and mischievous application as to alone
furnish sufficient ground for dsapproving
the proposed legislation.
The President next devotes much space to
the antiquities of the requirements under
which pensions may be obtained, especially
that which declares that pensioners shall be
those who can demonstrate their "total ina
bility to procure their subsistence by daily
labor" He thinks little of the safeguard
that this disability must not be the result OF
the applicants ''vicious habits or gross care
lessness," for, as he says, the attempt Of the
government to escape the payment of a
pension on such plea would, of course, in
very large majority of instances and re-
gardless of the merits Of the case, prove a
failure. There would be that strange but
nearly universal willingness to help the in
dividual, as between him and the public
treasury, which goes very far to insure
state of proof in favor of the claimant.
The President points out the difficulty OF
ascertaining what is support or lack of sup
port. He says:
Is the government to enter the homes of
oIo re for nG of a.
ton of their surroundings and circumstance
es settle these questions? Shall the gov
ernment say to one man that his manner of
subsistence by his earnings is a support and
to another that the things his earnings fur
nish are not support? Any attempt, how
ever honest to administer this law in such
manner would necessarily produce more
unfairness and unjust discrimination and
give more scope to partisan partiality, and
would result in more perversion OF the gov
ernment's benevolent intentions than the
execution of any statute ought to permit.
am of the opinion that it may fairly be
contended that under the provisions of this
section any soldier, whose faculties of mind
or body have become impaired by accident,
disease, or age, irrespective of his service in
the army as a cause, and who by his labor
only is left incapable of gaining the fair sup
port he might with unimpaired powers
have provided for himself, and who is not
so well endowed with this worlds goods as
to live without work, may claim to partlcl-
pate in its bounty that it is not required
that he should be without property, but
only that labor should be necessary to his
support in some degree; nor is it required
that he should be now receiving support
from others.
Believing this to be the proper interpre-
tation of the bill, the President recOuntS the
beneficence which the government has al
ready bestowed on all deserving pensioners
| and says:
I cannot believe that the vast peaceful
army of Union soldiers, who having con-
tentedly resumed their places in the ordi-
nary avocations of life, cherish as sacred
the memory of patriotic service, or who,
having been disabled by the casualties of
war, Justly regard the present pension roll,
on which appear their names, as roll of
honor, desire at this time and in the present
eXigency to be confounded with those who
through such bill as this are willing to be
objects of simple charity and to gain q
place upon the pension roll through alleged
dependence. Recent personal observation
and experience constrain me to refer to
another result which will inevitably follow
the passage of this bill. tits sad, but never
theIess true, that already in the matter Of
pFOCurlllS peSlOilS lllcIe SAlSlS d "ltlcSPl eau
disregard of truth and good faith, stimulat-
ed by those who as agents undertake to es-
tablish claims for pensions, heedlessly en-
tered upon by the eXpectant beneficiary and
encouraged, or at least not condemned, by
those unwilling to obstruct neighbours
plans.
In the execution of this proposed law un-
der any Interpretation wide field of inqui-
ry would be opened for the establishment of
facts largely within the knowledge of the
claimants alone and there can be no doubt
that the race after the pensions offered by
this bill would not only stimulate weakness
and pretended incapacity for labor, but put
a further premium on dishonesty and men
dacty.
The enormous probable expense of the
bill is another objection urged by the Presi-
dent. He quotes the statement made in
Congress that the number of pensioners
under this bill would be 33, 105 and the in
creased annual cost s4,767, ,l20; but reason
ing from the analogies of the laws of 1918
and 1868, he is satisfied that the cost stated
| in this estimate would be many times null
tiplied and with constant increase from
year to year, and if those partially unable
| to earn their support should be admitted to
the privileges of this bill the probable in
crease of expense would be almost APPALLING.
He is convinced that if this bill should be-
come law further efforts to reduce the fed
eral revenue and restore part of it to our
people will, and perhaps should be seriously
questioned. In conclusion the President
says:
1t has constantly been cause. of pride
and congratulation to the American citizen
that his country is not put to the charge of